Invasive carps (bighead, black, grass, and silver carps) escaped aquaculture and entered the mississippi river during floods in the 1970S

This Project Grant award of $302,652 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Fish and Aquatic Conservation - Aquatic Invasive Species program (CFDA 15.608) supports a collaborative effort led by West Virginia University Research Corporation to monitor the presence and expansion of invasive carp species in the Ohio River basin. The key activities include:

1. Continuing ichthyoplankton surveys to detect evidence of invasive carp reproduction upstream of the Markland Dam, which marks the leading edge of the invasion.
2. Initiating juvenile invasive carp surveys to establish baseline data on juvenile populations.
3. Applying community size-spectra analysis to fish assemblage data to identify targets for invasive carp removal and control.
4. Developing occupancy models to inform future monitoring efforts and containment strategies.

The project aims to provide critical data to track the status and expansion of the invasive carp invasion, informing rapid response and management actions to mitigate their environmental and economic impacts in the Ohio River basin. The award period runs from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025.

Since that time, they have advanced throughout the mississippi basin, including into the ohio river. Our proposed work is in collaboration with the ohio river invasive carp partnership and our primary objective is to monitor the ohio river mainstem and key tributaries for evidence of spawning success in areas upstream of the markland DAM where there have been only sporadic observations of adult invasive carps. This area marks the leading edge of the invasion and therefore is important to monitor so that rapid response and sustained management actions to reduce the probability of successful advancement and establishment. We will (1) continue past ichthyoplankton surveys to identify evidence of reproduction upstream of markland DAM, (2) initiate juvenile invasive carp surveys, (3) apply community size-spectra to fish assemblage data (i.e., community data) to identify targets for invasive carp harvest as a proof of concept project, and (4) develop occupancy models to inform continued monitoring sampling schemes and containment efforts.monitoring and documenting the existence and distribution of eggs, larvae, and juvenile invasive carp is critical for tracking the status and rate of expansion (or contraction) of the on-going invasion. Understanding where reproduction is occurring, the habitats and locations where each life stage is found along with relative abundance will inform rapid control measures (e.g., targeted harvest, barriers, or deterrent placements). With limited staff and resources, we need strong monitoring data to assure that efforts and resources are optimally used. We intend to sample juveniles ahead of what we believe is their current zone of reproduction, this will provide US critical before invasion or baseline information into the other species utilizing the same nursery habitat that may be negatively affected if when invasive carp reach upstream currently uninvaded river reaches. This also provides a robust second avenue to measure active reproductive success, which we use to determine where impacted and leading-edge areas are, which in turns allows for the optimal use of available control resources.at the opposite end of the invasive carp management spectrum are policies and methods to control adult fish in areas where they are fully established. Great resources are going into commercial harvest to reduce densities, but we are doing so without clear targets or harvest goals. We accept that eradication is impossible, so we need to determine acceptable densities to protect the food web and native species from adverse effects. We are proposing a community size-spectra (CSS) framework to establish targets for invasive carp removals. CSS describe the size structure of communities by quantifying the decrease in abundance among increasing body size classes. CSS have been used extensively as indicators of fishery sustainability (and over-fishing) and to set fishing harvest limits in marine systems, however, to date CSS have not been used to address invasive species management. We will compare and contrast annual CSS among ohio river pools and over time to evaluate how they have responded to increases in invasive carp (from existing partner data). We will utilize earlier years in impacted pools as well as long-term averages in upstream unimpacted pools to serve as a reference or the historic target condition. Utilizing this approach as a backdrop, we will strive to estimate the level to which invasive carp abundance need to be reduced to restore the CSS to target conditions. Targets are energetically based, scientifically defensible, and connect to broader food web properties thus provide direct connections between invasive carp management and ecological services.